Piston packing



Aug. 10 1926.

- T. E SMITH PISTON PACKING Filgd Dec. 28, 1921 Thomas E ,Smifh INVEMTOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. SMITH, OF PULASKI, TENNESSEE.

PISTON PACKING.

Application filed December 28, 1921.

This invention relates to piston packings and has for one of its objects to provide a packing ring of improved construction and increased efficiency, and adapted to resist the passage of gas or other motion imparting medium from either direction.

WVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional piston head with the improvement applied.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of one of the bridging devices.

The improved packing rin s are applicable to any of the various forms of pistons having encircling packing ring grooves or seats, and to such pistons employed in internal combustion motors, steam operated motors or pumps, and for the purpose of illustration is shown applied to a conventional piston, 10 representing the body of the piston and 11 the ring receiving grooves or channels.

Any required number of grooves may be employed, but for the purpose of illustration three of the grooves are shown.

The improved rings are represented at 12 and are divided and each provided with longitudinally directed recesses or seats 13 and 14 in its confronting ends, the seats extending entirely through the rings at one side and with the confronting ends at the other side reversely bevelled as shown at 15 and 16.

The seats 13 and 14 are in alinement cir cumferentially of the ring, and fitting within each pair of the coacting seats is a bridging member 17, each with a recess 18 in its inner face, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The recess 18, as shown, is intermediate the ends of the member 17, setting up upon the inner face at each end thereof the foot portions 19 which extend inwardly and bear against the rear wall of the groove 11 of the piston When the ring and bridging member are in place. By reason of the thin portion set up in the central part of the member, a resilient action will be had which will allow the mem- Serial No. 525,430.

her to be readily compressed or expanded under the influence of an increase in temperature or by any irregularities which might be found in the wall of the cylinder. The outer faces of the bridging members conform in outline to the outer faces of the bodies of the rings and engage the inner face of the cylinder gas tight.

The bevelled terminals 15 and 16 are reversely directed to insure the best results, the cylinder being indicated at 19.

For motors employing the force from one end only of the piston, as in internal combustion motors, the bevelled ends of the ring must be reversed and the bridging member 17 disposed at the side from whence the pressure comes, while in motors in which the f rce is applied to each end of the piston, as in motors using steam, the bridging members 17 must be reversely disposed at each end of the cylinder, or so that one or more of the bridging members are disposed toward both ends of the piston, or presented toward the direction from whence the force comes The preferred embodiment of the invention. is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specification, but it will be un derstood that modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is A. piston packing comprising, a split ring having a short circumferentially extending recess in one edge and extending from the front to the rear face thereof and further extending across the opposed ends of the ring, and a bridging member adapted to be arranged in said recess across said opposed ends, said member having the inner face between the ends thereof recessed, setting up at each end upon the inner face of the memher a foot portion adapted to bear against the body of a piston, when the ring is in position. in a groove therein, and a central resilient portion, the rear face of which is normally out of contact with the piston body.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

THOMAS E. SMITH. 

